


In Retrospect

by jellyfishtoast



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Circe - Madeline Miller, Medea - Euripides
Genre: Others Mentioned - Freeform, i do talk about her killing her children so, its not graphic at all but it is mentioned a couple of times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21826261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellyfishtoast/pseuds/jellyfishtoast
Summary: I wished I could go with her and protect her from the cruelty of my brother, I wish I could have been a real aunt to her. I wish I could have warned her about greedy young men who promise you the world for your pretty face and wealth that would dispose of you when they thought you were no longer useful. I wish I could have taught her about the cruelty of the gods, how they would play with mortals’ lives for their entertainment. I simply wish I could have protected her.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	In Retrospect

**Author's Note:**

> As you can tell, i use alot of commas and i honstly have no idea who i should tag this tbh

There on the other side of the door stood Medea, she looked older than when I last saw her. She no longer had the spark of devotion in her eyes, she looked as the whole world was against her, like she lost something precious to her. She had her father’s dragon chariot, the dragons stood proud under the gleaming sun, growling and yapping at one another, they were really furious beast. The gold of the chariot was almost blinding, I briefly thought about my father’s, gold and delectate but still sturdy. I notice the empty space beside her, Jason was not with her. “Can I come in?” her voice was stiff and just as harsh as I remember, but there was a slight tremble at the end of her words, I noticed her hands were clutching at her robes. I chose not to stare at the blood smeared on them or the blood under her nails. I step aside to let her in, she looks frazzled, her long dark curls stick out of her once ornate bun. Her face was red and tearstained. I asked her if she would like something to eat just to be polite, she told me she was on her way to visit her father. We sat in silence for a while, I did not know what to think of her presence, the first time I met her I was sure she hated my guts, why would she come back to visit me? It surly was not to gloat, her appearance told me of a tragedy. I wanted to know who killed her beloved and if she was returning to my brother Aeëtes... I wondered if she would return the fleece for her lovers’ life. But I knew my brother was cruel and would not grant her wish, I did not want to think about the types of torture she would succumb to on her return.

Medea did not talk for a while, she simply sat by the fire. The warm light that brushed across her delicate face made her look furious. I heard a faint whisper of “I hate him.”

“I’m sorry what?”

“Jason. I hate him.”

I nodded as if I understood. “Ah, you and Jason split?”

“He wanted to leave me for some younger woman. He wanted to leave me and my sons in exile while he sat in some shiny palace adored by all. While me and my children would be hated feared. ‘The barbarian witch and her demon offspring’ they would say. I have no doubt that he would have had us killed.”

I did not know what know what to do with this new information but when I looked at Medea tears were spilling out of her eyes and she let out a small hiccup. I moved to sit by her, but I did not know if she would accept my comfort, so I stared at the fire.

“I hate him, but I hate myself for being foolish enough to love him.”

“Sometimes, those we love won’t return are affections to the fullest. I think our heritage makes it harder for men to love us for, they fear us.” It was a silent confession, one she understood. The ‘they cannot control us’ went unsaid.

She leaned her head on my shoulder and whispered “I stole the fleece for him. I killed my brother, my own flesh and blood for him. I abandoned my father, my kingdom for him. Jason never gave up anything for me.” Medea took a pause and looked down at her hands, twisting and tearing at the ornate cloth of her robes.

“At first I thought he loved me. After all he left his kingdom, his - his birth right to be with me. But I think he just feared me too much to let me out of his sight.”

I did not want to say I told you so, when she and Jason first came to me I could tell that he did not love her the same way she did, or maybe he didn’t love her the same way she wanted him to love her. I did take notice on the fact that she mentioned having sons, I hope she left them with Jason…

We stared at the fire for a while, it was getting late so I suggested that we eat, I got up to prepare a meal. Medea moved to the table in the middle of the room, she asked me if I liked being alone, I told her sometimes. I sat the food at the table, meats and cheese, I thought that she would need to keep her energy up especially if she was not planning to stay here for the night. She told me the story about her travels with Jason, he promised her that she would be a queen, but of course nothing ever works out according to plan. After years of exile Jason had decide to remarry, he told Medea that he would take care of their children. He told her he was doing this for their family, he would treat her as his first wife and make sure she had everything she needed, that he would treat her like a queen. But that also never works out, she told me “illegitimate hires never rule the throne by birth right, only by force.”

From her stories so far, I did not know what to think of Jason, I wanted to believe that he truly loved her, but I also believed that he only feared her. Jason had obviously did not fully know her for he did not think about her rage when he announced his decision. Maybe he wanted to show her that he did not fear her anymore. Or maybe he was just was depressed, missing out on ruling a kingdom like the gods promised him after years of living with his wife and kids as exiles and thought this was a chance to have a fitting ending for a hero. I would never know but I did know that young heroes have to habit of collecting pretty woman and disposing of them, Medea was no different. It was upsetting to me, I wished my niece had a better life, but I know that would be too much to ask from the gods. I had no doubt that they had some part in this, I wondered if Medea even loved Jason in the beginning or was bewitched by Aphrodite or one of her spawns and it was simply wearing off due to time. The thought made me sick, but no one is immune to the gods meddling, no matter how powerful.

Medea had still not mentioned her children, if she needed a place to hide them from Aeëtes I could offer them a place to stay until they grew old enough to fight for themselves. I told Medea this, and she took a deep breath.

“My children… oh gods... I-I killed my _children_.” Medea let out a choked sob.

I did not know what to make of this information and Medea looked at her hands twisting in her robe with enoug force I feared she would tear it. She looked conflicted like she was coming to terms with what she just said and what she just did. I looked at her blood-stained hands. I now knew who blood it was and deep down I knew that if my niece killed them in a fit of rage, their deaths were sadly not pleasant.

“With my own two hands, I stabbed them. I had to, their life as exiles and a life with Jason would have been a living nightmare for them. I also…” She let out an empty laugh. “I also wanted to get back at Jason, I killed his new wife, I hear her father is dead too. I killed my own two children. To show that he is nothing without me, no one would even know the name Jason if it wasn’t for me.” She spat out the name Jason as if it were acid on a wounded tongue.

She seemed like she did not regret what she did for she knew it hurt Jason, but she regretted her actions because she lost her children. Medea was a mess, she looked so angry yet so sad. I thought I would witness her break down, but she was far to proud. I felt like she hated me, I felt like she blamed me for not preventing her for going with Jason. I know if she thought her past affections for Jason were due to some spell, she would have cursed me for not breaking the spell the moment I saw her step foot on my island. She did not think that was the case but it seems like part of her does hates me for letting her leave.

But the past was the past, I am powerful but even I can not change the past. As much as I wished it.

Medea looked at her plate, I looked at my wine and whispered to see the fate of Jason. It showed me an older disheveled Jason being crushed under a collapsed Argo. He has lost his favor with Hera after he broke his marriage vows to Medea. I thought it was a sad fate for the hero, Hera could have easily helped him out, she could have gave him a kingdom or at least warned him about breaking his vows to Medea. I’m sure Hera knew she could have helped, but the goddess sat on her throne high in Olympus laughing at the broken marriage to simply distract herself form her own. I told her this and a sick smile crossed her face. But it seemed sad and empty, I do not know what I would have expected, she was raised by the cruel hand of Aeëtes, she would no doubt get pleasure from someone else’s pain, especially of the pain of a past lover. But there was a part of her that still ached for the sweet times she and Jason had shared, while they were short, I had no doubt that she would remember them for a while or until she became bitter and angry. I would not blame her for her transformation, for I have also known the cruelty of the gods and men.

Medea had asked me to burry and perform funeral rights for her two sons. “They should not suffer in death because of me and they will not get the honors they deserved from my father. I would have done it myself... but I fear that I would curse them. I do not trust my hands with acts of kindness and love anymore.” The tears on her face have long dried and the only thing her eyes reflected was sorrow.

She went outside to gather the bodies of her dead sons, the sun set casting long shadows across the island. She handed me the bundles of cloth; they were younger than I thought. Her sons were so _small_. After the rights Medea stated that she cannot stay long, she packed the two vases filled with ash into her chariot, she looked at me before she took off with a sad smile. While I wished that she would stay I knew she would not, she had a different fate ahead of her. I watched as she grew smaller and smaller in the sky, I wished I could go with her and protect her from the cruelty of my brother, I wish I could have been a real aunt to her. I wish I could have warned her about greedy young men who promise you the world for your pretty face and wealth that would dispose of you when they thought you were no longer useful. I wish I could have taught her about the cruelty of the gods, how they would play with mortals’ lives for their entertainment. I simply wish I could have protected her. That she would have stayed on my island and that she would never have to know the pain of burying her children. But alas, with my all of my strength and knowledge I could not leave my confinement of the island at least, not yet. So instead I watched as Medea became just a tiny speck in the sunset. With a heavy heart, I wondered if she ever looked back.

I went back inside.

**Author's Note:**

> my first fic lol its very short  
> this is not perfect, but I read the book and loved it, I just wished that Circe and Medea could have meet a second time.


End file.
